Monty Python's: THE MEANING OF LIFE

Started by Sigur Rós, March 29, 2003, 01:41:08 PM

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MacGuffin

#30
July 18, 2003, 01:58:29 AM
Get out your buckets. Universal Home Video has announced a special 20th anniversary edition of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life on a two 2-disc special edition due September 2.

The fully-restored video will feature all of the original endings for each skit as well as alternative endings and deleted scenes from each skit. Some of the songs, like Every Sperm is Sacred and The Meaning of Life that have been re-recorded by their authors just for the DVD.

The disc will come with new commentaries by the actors, which should prove a gem alone. Also, a sequence with Martin Luther (the religious figure) that had been removed from the film before its release has been included, and he will pop up sporadically during the movie, demanding to have his sequence included.

There will also be a 50-minute featurette called The History of the Meaning of Life, which is "guided" by animated versions of movie characters Mr. Creosote, A Fish, The Headmaster and The Man in Pink. John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and the film's co-writers/co-directors Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam offer their comments on the making of the film in this featurette.

There is also a segment called The Re-Mastering of the Meaning of Life, which attempts to be serious for more than ten seconds (you can pretty much bet that won't happen) to document the restoration of the film from its originals.

There will also be DVD- ROM extras, featuring the original screenplay, lost scenes, song sheets of music and lyrics from the film, Creosote cooking tips, and the Python's Good Death Guide.

The disc will be available for a suggested price of $26.98.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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rustinglass

#31
July 18, 2003, 03:46:38 AM
Quote from: ewardsecond fave.  life of brian kills me.
me too.
live at the hollywood bowl is great too.
"In Serbia a lot of people hate me because they want to westernise, not understanding that the western world is bipolar, with very good things and very bad things. Since they don't have experience of the west, they even believe that western shit is pie."
-Emir Kusturica

penfold0101

#32
July 18, 2003, 09:52:36 AM
Its gotta be
1 Holly grail
2 Life of Brian
3 Meaning of Life

Meaning of life i find a bit too random, all though i probably Quote the fat man in the restaurant scene more than any other Python sketch.
"There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. And that, I think, was the handle - that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting - on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.
So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high - water mark - that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back." - Hunter S. Thompson.

Find Your Magali

#33
September 13, 2003, 09:35:07 AM
Buyer beware. There are some bad reports floating around about the quality of this release.

http://www.dvdreview.com/coffee/CoffeeArchive.html

and

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=7480

Ravi

#34
September 13, 2003, 06:07:51 PM
Quote from: DVDtalkVarious reports have included problems such as a blurry or shaky image during pausing, and more major problems with fast-moving objects during playback.

My theories:

1)  The disc is not encoded at 24p.  Extra fields are encoded instead of having two fields per frame and flagging the fields that should be repeated for NTSC playback.

or

2)  The disc was converted from PAL to NTSC.  It's possible.  It turns out that the Warner/MK2 Chaplin DVDs were  :shock:

MacGuffin

#35
September 15, 2003, 10:18:39 PM
You receive the following reply from Universal based on inquiries to the studio on the issue of the Meaning Of Life DVDs:

"Thank you for contacting Universal Studios. With the advent of cutting-edge technology in the DVD format, a small number of DVD players do not have the technical capability to take full advantage of the Monty Python's The Meaning of Life disc format. Universal Studios Home Video has become aware of a player specific issue which results in the appearance of jagged video interlacing, on disc 1 only. Disc 2 is NOT affected. Consumers with an incompatible player may mail back Disc 1 to Universal and receive a replacement. To obtain a pre-paid USPS envelope in which to mail back the original Disc 1, please call 1-800-433-4673. Replacement discs are currently scheduled to be available mid-November 2003. We appreciate your patronage and hope you continue to enjoy our products."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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Find Your Magali

#36
September 16, 2003, 10:01:20 AM
Quote from: MacGuffinYou receive the following reply from Universal based on inquiries to the studio on the issue of the Meaning Of Life DVDs:

"Thank you for contacting Universal Studios. With the advent of cutting-edge technology in the DVD format, a small number of DVD players do not have the technical capability to take full advantage of the Monty Python's The Meaning of Life disc format. Universal Studios Home Video has become aware of a player specific issue which results in the appearance of jagged video interlacing, on disc 1 only. Disc 2 is NOT affected. Consumers with an incompatible player may mail back Disc 1 to Universal and receive a replacement. To obtain a pre-paid USPS envelope in which to mail back the original Disc 1, please call 1-800-433-4673. Replacement discs are currently scheduled to be available mid-November 2003. We appreciate your patronage and hope you continue to enjoy our products."

Seems like they have the whole system down pat after the Back to the Future fiasco.

Spike

#37
September 16, 2003, 12:53:55 PM
I also love "The Meaning of Life".
The war scene with the clock from switzerland is so fucking hilarious as the catholic father with his 40 children is.  :P
But curiously I always hated the beginning section with the old accountants. I just purely hate it.
"We're gonna celebrate St. Suck-My-Big-Fat-Fucking-Sausage'a!!!"

SoNowThen

#38
September 16, 2003, 01:04:39 PM
Quote from: Find Your Magali
Quote from: MacGuffinYou receive the following reply from Universal based on inquiries to the studio on the issue of the Meaning Of Life DVDs:

"Thank you for contacting Universal Studios. With the advent of cutting-edge technology in the DVD format, a small number of DVD players do not have the technical capability to take full advantage of the Monty Python's The Meaning of Life disc format. Universal Studios Home Video has become aware of a player specific issue which results in the appearance of jagged video interlacing, on disc 1 only. Disc 2 is NOT affected. Consumers with an incompatible player may mail back Disc 1 to Universal and receive a replacement. To obtain a pre-paid USPS envelope in which to mail back the original Disc 1, please call 1-800-433-4673. Replacement discs are currently scheduled to be available mid-November 2003. We appreciate your patronage and hope you continue to enjoy our products."

Seems like they have the whole system down pat after the Back to the Future fiasco.
So what you're saying is Don't Buy this until after November?

Also, what's wrong with the BTTF box set? I haven't watched mine yet...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

MacGuffin

#39
September 16, 2003, 01:08:51 PM
Quote from: SoNowThenAlso, what's wrong with the BTTF box set? I haven't watched mine yet...

Some scenes in BTTF 2 & 3 were misframed in their letterboxing transfer:
http://www.bttf.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=001337;p=1
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

#40
March 03, 2004, 10:48:30 AM
A New Monty Python movie in the works
Source: Moviehole

This floated in the inbox this morning. Don’t usually whack up casting notices or press releases, but this is priceless. Someone’s making a - How intriguing - a young “Monty Python” film!

I also checked in with the PR department for the film to see what the deal is. They say “That is correct, this will be major film. If you have a few bucks lying around you can also check out the book by Graham Chapman called 'Gin and Tonic'. At the present moment, the original Pythons are not involved in the project, but it’s not like the film cannot go on with out them, because it is based on Chapman's life in the swinging 70's. But of course it wouldn't hurt to get them involved in it.”

WORLDWIDE OPEN AUDITIONS FOR YOUNG MONTY PYTHONS

Los Angeles, CA (February 2, 2004) – Hippofilms, a Los Angeles-based film production company, has announced a worldwide casting call for the roles of the young members of Monty Python, the famed British comedy troupe.

The first open audition is scheduled in Hollywood, California, on March 20th, 2004. It will be supervised by Hippofilms’ president, David Eric Brenner. Subsequent auditions, in New York, London and Tokyo will be announced in the near future.

Hippofilms will work closely with The Graham Chapman Archives to select six young actors to portray the world-famous comedians (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) in the upcoming theatrical film, GIN AND TONIC, a comic-drama based on the life and memoirs of late Python Graham Chapman.

Brenner stated, “We wanted to cast as wide a net as possible for the Pythons. Our goal isn’t just to find six look-alikes, but to discover six incredibly talented performers who embody that Pythonic brilliance and lunacy.”

The auditions will also be an opportunity for Python fans to display their unusual brand of fanaticism. According to Jim Yoakum, Director of the Graham Chapman Archives, “We wanted these auditions to be fun, somewhat silly affairs that Graham would be proud of. That’s why we’re giving away prizes for the most absurd costumes.”

Toy Vault, a U.S.-based toy company, will unveil their latest prototypes of Monty Python-related toys -- including a stuffed bunny with huge, pointy teeth -- at the Hollywood audition. Outside the audition hall, local actors and die-hard fans will perform original comic sketches for their peers on a community stage.

Those seeking further information about the auditions can visit the GIN AND TONIC movie website: www.ginandtonicmovie.com.

According to the site, they’re looking to cast the parts of:

GRAHAM CHAPMAN JOHN CLEESE TERRY GILLIAM ERIC IDLE TERRY JONES MICHAEL PALIN

And shortly:

KEITH MOON PETER COOK HARRY NILSSON RINGO STARR MARTY FELDMAN

DOUGLAS ADAMS DAVID FROST
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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cine

#41
March 24, 2004, 10:35:40 AM
Python's 'Life of Brian' to be re-issued
Film earned protests on original 1979 release[/b]

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Coming back soon to a theater near you -- a controversial film about a Jewish guy from Nazareth who is worshiped as the Messiah and crucified by the Romans.

No, it's not Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." It's Monty Python's "Life of Brian."

Inspired by the runaway success -- and public furor -- over Gibson's portrayal of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus, the creators behind the 1979 biblical satire about an anti-Roman activist who spends his life being mistaken for a prophet are planning a 25th anniversary re-release next month.

"Life of Brian" will open at the end of April in Los Angeles and New York before expanding to other cities across the country, Rainbow Film Company president Henry Jaglom, whose distribution arm is reissuing the film, said Tuesday.

Jaglom, a writer-director whose partner, John Goldstone, produced the original film, said trailers for the comedy would appear in theaters starting on Good Friday.

"We decided this is an important time to re-release this film, to provide some counter-programming to 'The Passion,' " Jaglom told Reuters. "I intend it, hopefully, to serve as an antidote to all the hysteria about Mel's movie."

He said marketing for the re-release would play off Gibson's film by adapting such taglines as "Mel or Monty" and "The Passion or the Python" -- "we want to give people a choice."

The members of the Monty Python comedy troupe -- John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and the late Graham Chapman (who played Brian) -- all shared writing credits on the film and won back theatrical rights to it several years ago. Jaglom said the surviving members "all agreed this was a good time" to re-release the film and would help promote it.

Uproars
Owing to a heavy turnout by Christian moviegoers and weeks of intense media attention, Gibson's film opened to blockbuster success on February 25 -- Ash Wednesday. "The Passion" has gone on to generate nearly $300 million in North American ticket sales alone, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

"Life of Brian," stirred an uproar all its own 25 years ago, with some Christians condemning the film as blasphemous. The film only got made when former Beatle George Harrison stepped in to finance the picture after EMI Films withdrew from the project, fearing that it was too controversial.

The movie focused on the fictional Brian of Nazareth, a Jew who is born in the manger next-door to Jesus and grows up to join an anti-Roman separatist group called the Judean People's Front but ends up being mistaken for the Messiah.

The film's creators have said it was meant as a spoof on Bible films and intolerance rather than Christianity.

But that distinction was lost on some who were offended by the irreverent flavor of the film, including a scene in which several crucifixion victims sing and whistle the tune "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" while hanging on crosses.

grand theft sparrow

#42
March 24, 2004, 10:43:02 AM
Oh, it's gonna get ugly.  Can't wait.

Ravi

#44
March 24, 2004, 07:18:32 PM
Cinephile, you got a link for that article?
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